The battle of the titans indeed

 

Finally, the Galaxy Note 8 is not the lone smartphone that is priced at Php 50K. The recently launched iPhone X will retail at $999 (roughly Php 50.9K) for the 64GB model (the 256GB model is more expensive at $1149 or roughly Php 58.5k). Being two of the most expensive smartphones out there, we got curious: Which one is the superior smartphone? Let’s take a quick look at its specs:

 

Galaxy Note 8 Specs

• Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor (US, Europe), Exynos 8895 processor (Asia, rest of the world)
• 6GB of RAM
• 6.3-inch Quad HD+ resolution, 18.5:9 aspect ratio,  2960 x 1440 resolution display, Gorilla Glass 5
• 12-megapixel twin rear camera with Dual Pixel tech, wide-angle camera with f/1.7 aperture lens, OIS, PDAF, 2x optical zoom lens with f/2.4 aperture lens with OIS, PDAF
• 8-megapixel front camera with f/1.7 aperture
• 64GB of storage, expandable via microSD up to 256GB
• Dual SIM
• 3G, LTE
• WiFi, Bluetooth,  GPS, A-GPS, Fingerprint scanner, iris scanner, USB Type-C, NFC, Wireless charging
• 3300mAh battery
• Android 7.1.1 Nougat with TouchWiz UI

Read: Samsung Galaxy Note 8 Review: Is The Most Expensive Android Flagship Worth It?

iPhone X specs

• Apple A11 Bionic chip
• 3GB of RAM
• 5.8-inch Super Retina OLED Display, 2436 x 1125 resolution, Wide Gamut Color Display
• 12-megapixel twin rear camera, wide-angle camera with f/1.8 aperture lens, OIS, PDAF, 2x optical zoom lens with f/2.4 aperture lens with OIS, PDAF, Quad LED Flash
• 7-megapixel, f/2.2 TrueDepth front camera with f/2.2 aperture
• 64GB/256GB of internal storage
• 3G, LTE
• WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS, A-GPS, FaceID, Lightning port, Wireless charging, Augmented Reality, Apple Pay
• iOS 11

Read: Apple’s iPhone X Is Their Most Insane One Yet

 

Internals: Believe it or not, the iPhone X is a beast

While the Note 8 has better specs on paper with its 6GB of RAM (compared to the iPhone X’s 3GB RAM), the iPhone X’s A11 Bionic chip is definitely something. It may just have 6 cores (compared to the 8 cores found at the Note 8’s Exynos 8895/Snapdragon 835), but early benchmark tests show that the iPhone X floored all Android devices. It is so fast, it is even better than the Mid-2017 13-inch Touch Bar MacBook Pro! Now if this is true in real-life tests, then the iPhone X is literally a computer that fits in your pocket.

Display: No notches is the better option

The iPhone X may boast of an edge-to-edge display, but the Note 8 wins here for its cleaner look with the Infinity Display (seriously Apple, that notch is not flattering). Not that the Note 8 as a cleaner look, it also boasts of a bigger display at 6.3 inches (compared to 5.8 inches on the iPhone X). As for display quality, both the Note 8 and iPhone X are equal as both use Super AMOLED displays.

 

Camera: The Note 8 wins by a slim margin

Both the iPhone X and Note 8 have a near-similar dual rear camera setup–including dual OIS, but the Note 8 wins by a hair with its f/1.7 primary camera (the iPhone X’s primary camera has a f/1.8 aperture). As for the front camera, the Note 8 dominates with its 8-megapixel, f/1.7 snapper. However, given the function of FaceID in the iPhone X, we have to see the potential of its TrueDepth front camera.

 

Battery: The Note 8 has a bigger battery, but…

While the Note 8’s 3300mAh battery cannot last you the whole day, the battery life on the iPhone X remains to be seen. While the iPhone X is claimed to last two hours better than the iPhone 7, we are still not sure about its actual size. Given that the iPhone 7 used a 1960mAh battery, we are guessing that the iPhone X’s battery size is a little above 2000mAh, which is way smaller than the one found on the Note 8.

 

Verdict: It’s a tough match

Honestly speaking, it is hard to choose between the Note 8 and the iPhone X. Both boast of cutting-edge features and technology: The Note 8 with its S-Pen and Infinity display, and iPhone X with its FaceID and edge-to-edge display. Both phones also have near-identical specs (at least on paper), so it’s really hard to determine which of the two is the superior phone. As both are priced really high (around the Php 50K-60K mark), it is really up to the consumers to decide which of the two best suits them. While we have reviewed the Note 8, we look forward to getting our hands on the iPhone X and see if it is worth the hype.

Should you not opt for buying either (dropping fifty grand for a phone is a real pain for our wallets serious matter), maybe you consider these other ways you can spend your hard-earned cash:

5 Businesses You Can Start Instead of Buying a New Flagship Smartphone

5 Gadgets You Can Buy for the iPhone 8’s Price